The National
Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) says it has concluded arrangements to organise
security summit with youth leaders across the 36 states of the federation and
FCT to address emerging security threats in the country.
Its National
Matron, Hajiya Aisha Audu, made the disclosure in a statement on Thursday in
Abuja.
She stated
that the council was worried about recent comments by leaders of some ethnic
nationalities, noting that such remarks could create unnecessary tension in the
country.
Audu said
the security summit would bring youth leaders of all ethnic groups across the
six geo political zones of the country to enhance national cohesion among the
youth.
She appealed
to ethnic nationalities to embrace peace and refrain from making inflammatory
statements that could disrupt the peaceful co-existence in the country.
Malam Gambo
Jagindi, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of NYCN,
also advised leaders of ethnic groups to stop making demands that could cause
disorder and fear in the country.
He said the
council was appealing to all aggrieved groups to embrace peace, as the country
belonged to all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic background.
He added
that aggrieved persons and groups were at liberty to state their demands
without recourse to violence, threat, intimidation and insult.
According to
him, it is normal in a pluralistic society like Nigeria to have disagreements,
noting however that discrepancies should be resolved amicably without hurting
anybody.
He added
that “the appeal is particularly to the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, the
Ohanaeze Youth Wing, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Oodua Youths,
Niger Delta Youth, Arewa Elders Forum and other ethnic nationalities to keep
the peace.
He stressed
that “it is only in an atmosphere of peace that meaningful development can be
achieved and we are better together as Nigerians.”
A coalition
of 16 northern youth groups, on June 7, gave Igbo residing in the north up to
October 1, 2017 to vacate the region, after a joint meeting in Kaduna.
The
ultimatum came days after the shutting down of major towns in the South East on
May 30, 2017, as part of campaign by IPOB for the actualisation of Biafra
Republic.
The action
of the northern youths shows that the agitations for self-determination are
spiraling out of control and leaders need to immediately intervene to stop such
agitations from resulting to violence. (NAN)
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